WASHINGTON — This week promises a breathtaking sight for stargazers, with the year’s most luminous and closest supermoon gracing the sky on Wednesday night.

Known as the Super Beaver Moon, it will achieve its brightest point at 8:19 a.m. ET on Wednesday, November 5. At that moment, the moon will be approximately 221,817 miles from Earth.

This will mark its closest proximity to our planet for the entire year, sitting nearly 2,800 miles nearer than October’s supermoon. As a result, this lunar phenomenon will appear significantly larger and more radiant.

Given that its peak occurs during daylight, the ideal time for most enthusiasts to catch this supermoon will be Tuesday night when the moon is still approaching Earth or Wednesday night as it begins to drift away.

More a popular term than a scientific one, a supermoon occurs when a full lunar phase syncs up with an especially close swing around Earth. This usually happens only three or four times a year and consecutively, given the moon’s constantly shifting, oval-shaped orbit.

A supermoon obviously isn’t bigger, but it can appear that way, although scientists say the difference can be barely perceptible.

Experts note that the so-called “moon illusion” makes the moon appear especially large when it’s near the horizon. “Your brain compares it to everyday objects, like trees or buildings, and inflates its size,” EarthSky notes.

If weather cooperates, the moon will rise low on the horizon, offering an ideal opportunity for photographs and stargazing. It will appear full for several nights in a row, similar to October’s Harvest Moon.

A supermoon occurs when the moon’s elliptical orbit brings it to perigee (the term for when it’s closest to the Earth) while it is also full. The result is a moon that can appear up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than when it’s at its farthest distance.

The November full moon is traditionally known as the Beaver Moon, a name with origins in Native American and European folklore. The name is thought to refer to how beavers build dams and prepare for winter, or when trappers once set their final traps of the season for the animals’ thick pelts, according to NASA.

• Check your local moonrise time using a weather or stargazing app.

• Find a high vantage point with an unobstructed view of the horizon.

• Avoid artificial lights for a clearer, more dramatic view.